Life Raft
by illuminatingthesoul
Summary: Sam's undercover and Andy turns to the one person that she knows will keep her safe, and that she can always trust. But when trouble makes an appearance in her newfound paradise, will Dov be able to keep them both afloat?
1. A Different Kind Of Family

Hey everybody! As you may have noticed, I've become totally addicted to writing fics. This is the second one in like, two days? Madness.  
This one isn't a romance at all, because that would be weird with Andy and Dov. It revolves around friendship, and how certain people can keep you afloat when no one else can.

Once again, the beginning of this fic took its first breath in the last chapter of Uncertainty, my previous fic. It's not a must-read-to-understand type dealie, but if you've got time,  
then you know, why not. Right? (:

Of course, reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated times fifty. You guys have been so great in my past fics, I'm hoping you'll keep it up, it makes me feel so great!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rookie Blue, or its darling characters.

A Different Kind of Family

Dov Epstein lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Two weeks after Chris had moved out, and he still wasn't used to the empty house. '_Maybe I do need a dog._' He rolled onto his side, his hair falling into his eyes. His breathing synched up with the throbbing bass that was shaking his neighbour's house. Another failed attempt at sleep.

He rolled out of bed and grabbed a small blanket before trudging down the hallway in his boxers. He made himself comfortable on the couch, lying on his stomach, the blanket only covering his legs. The city sounds swirled around him and he smiled, the cars were his favourite lullaby. He was nearly asleep when a sharp knock sounded from the door. Startled, he fell off the couch. Cursing, he pulled himself off of the floor. There was another knock, and after that a third. He made his way over to the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see a tearful Andy McNally.

"Dov." She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. He braced himself as her knees buckled and she wholly stopped standing on her own. His arms found their way around her back, and he found himself at a loss for words. They stood in the doorway, Andy's sobs not letting up for a good fifteen minutes. Goose bumps spread over Dov's body and she realized he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"You're cold." She whispered between breaths.

"Come on." Dov took the pillow near Andy's feet and walked her into the house, his hand on the small of her back.

She walked into the living room and dropped herself into the large armchair, bringing her knees up to her chest and sinking backwards. Dov walked over to her, still completely in the dark as to what was happening.

He lifted her head and placed her pillow beneath it, then ran his hand over her knee.

"What's wrong, Andy?" His voice was soft. Sobs racked her body for a few more seconds before she started to retain her breath.

"Sam left tonight, for the op, and then I had a bad dream, and I didn't know where else to go." Her breath still evaded her.

"Wait, Sam left where?" Dov raised his eyebrows.

"The human trafficking op. They called him under early, and now they're saying it could take months." The tears started to flow again. "I can't sleep in our bed without him next to me, knowing that he could be lying dead in an alley somewhere." She buried her face in her hands.

"Shh, it's okay." He pulled her into his arms. "Sam's a great guy, but an even better cop. He's gonna be fine."

"But what do I do while he's gone? I haven't slept alone since that day with Sarah. I don't think I can do it, Dov, I can't." Her voice was raw.

"You need to get some sleep, Andy." Dov said, standing up. Just by looking at him, you wouldn't think he was very strong. But two hundred push-ups everyday had made him deceptively fit, and this was demonstrated nicely as he leaned down and lifted Andy into his arms. He carried the woman down the hallway into his bedroom, and set her down in the bed. He pulled the blankets up over her body and knelt next to her, brushing her hair out of her face.

"If you need anything, I'm right down the hallway, okay?" He kissed her forehead and got up to leave.

"Wait, where are you going to sleep?" She lifted her head from the pillow. He paused in the doorway.

"I can just crash on the couch." He assured her.

"What? No. You have to sleep in here, I'll take the couch." She started to get up.

"No, Andy, you sleep in here." He blocked her exit.

"But I can't just kick you out of your bed." Andy turned and started arranging the pillows. "Here, you sleep in here too. I promise I'll stay on my side of the bed, I swear. Unless this is your side, then I can move over." She tried to straighten out the comforter but he stopped her, laughing.

"Andy, its fine. Everything's fine." He walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. After a few minutes of silence, Dov was reminded of why he moved to the living room in the first place. He exhaled sharply and lifted himself out of bed.

"Wha –?" Andy began, but stopped when Dov calmly but quickly walked out of the room and down the hall. Andy heard the front door open.

Dov walked around the corner and up to his neighbour's front door. With purpose, he slammed his fist against the light wood.

"Dale! Open the door!" He called in. With no answer, he resorted to drastic measures.

"Police! Open up!" He hammered the door again. A few seconds later, and obviously wasted Dale appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, man. You want a beer?" Dale's speech was past slurred.

"Dale, you gotta shut off your music." Dov wasn't messing around.

"You see, Dov, I would, but if I shut it off, no one will know if my speakers are working?" Dale stumbled backwards a little. "You aren't wearing a shirt." He leaned over and threw up in the umbrella holder next to the door.

"Dale. Music. Off. Now." Dov ordered.

"Sorry man, I can't do that." Behind Dale, a scantily clad blonde woman appeared. Dov knew a hooker when he saw one.

"Dale, either the music goes off right now, or you and the hooker are going down to the station." He was yelling now.

"You don't understand, man!" Dale yelled back.

"No, Dale, you don't understand. My friend is having a really bad week and she needs to get some sleep. And she can't sleep with your pathetic party boy music blasting through the walls!" Dov spoke condescendingly, and Dale's eyes widened.

"Is that that babe who came to your door? Whoa, man. Are you hittin' that?" Dale lowered his voice.

"No, Dale. I'm not. Now shut off the music." Dov didn't back down.

Inside, Andy lay awake, straining to hear what they were saying. She heard voices elevate and clambered out of bed and down the hall. She turned towards the door just in time to see Dale take a swing at Dov, who expertly ducked before decking him in the jaw.

"MUSIC, OFF, NOW." He yelled. Dale drew his arm back, preparing to take another shot when Andy darted across the yard and up the stairs.

"What is going on?" She yelled. Dale's arm fell to his side.

"You're so hot." His eyes were wide. Dov pushed his shoulder a little. "Why aren't you hittin' that, man?" He turned to Dov. Andy could see his jaw tense up and she stepped forward, grabbing his forearm.

"I've got this." She whispered in his ear, discretely. Dov took a step back, and Andy took center stage.

"Hey, Dale. I'm Andy." She smiled and held out her hand for him to shake. Instead, he kissed it.

"It's a pleasure, sexy." Dale responded. Andy could feel Dov moving forward behind her, she signed for him to stop.

"I was wondering if you could turn down the music, Dale." She asked him sweetly.

"Sure, anytime. Maybe you two wanna come hangout with me and Ginger, here?" The blonde woman came to stand next to him. Andy stifled a laugh, and graciously declined.

"Maybe next time? I'll see you later, Dale." She smiled before turning and grabbing Dov's hand, leading him away. They got back to the bedroom and Dov turned to her.

"How did you do that? He doesn't even know you, but he just listened to you!" Dov cocked his head. Andy smile outshined the tears still fresh on her cheeks.

"It's cause of my boobs. Guys always give in, because they don't really know what they're agreeing to. They just stare and nod." She explained. Dov shrugged.

"That does make sense, actually." He replied.

"I used to hate it, but then I realized I could use them to my advantage. And like, let's face it. They are pretty great." Andy laughed before climbing back into bed. Dov joined her, and the two made themselves comfortable. Andy sighed; it was now almost 4 AM.

"Let's call in sick tomorrow." She whispered.

"Sounds great." He laughed.

"Thanks for letting me stay here tonight, Dov." Andy's voice was faint.

"You are always welcome here Andy, you know that." He replied honestly.

"You've bailed me out so many times; I'll never be able to thank you enough." Her eyes were closed now.

"Andy, you practically kept me sane in the Academy. We're pretty even." Dov laughed sleepily.

"Whatever you say. Love you, brother." Andy yawned and buried her face in her pillow.

"Love you too, sis." He replied.

Less than five minutes later, Dov was nearly asleep when a noise startled him awake.

"Damnit, Andy." He whispered to himself. "I thought you stopped snoring."


	2. Pocket Spa Technician

Alright everyone! Here's number two. All of your reviews were so great! Thank you all. The next chapter is gonna get intense. I'm not sure where I want to go with it right now, but I know it'll come to me as I write.

R&CC are greatly appreciated! 3

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Pocket Spa Technician

Morning came too soon for Dov. He rolled over and groaned into his pillow, his eyes shut tightly.

"Too early." He complained to himself. He half expected that Andy would have deserted him in the early morning hours, but was proved wrong when he padded into the kitchen, tousling his hair with his hands.

"Morning." She had a happy demeanour, but her voice was exhausted. She stood over the stove, flipping pancakes.

"Breakfast, really? You didn't have to do that." He smiled at her as he hoisted himself onto the counter.

"I did, trust me. I really owe you, Dov. Last night was rough." She brushed her bangs out of her face.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you. You had a nightmare, so you just grabbed your pillow and drove to my place?" He tilted his head.

"Well, I walked. But yeah. I just didn't really know where else to go." She admitted, still fixated on her pancakes.

"You walked?" Dov looked at her with amazement in his eyes. "It's like a half an hour walk, at night, in the cold, in your pajamas? Why didn't you call me?"

"I needed the fresh air." She answered simply.

"Next time, please call me okay? It's dangerous out there." Dov made her promise. Andy served up the pancakes and joined Dov at the table.

"How come you didn't go to Traci's?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love Traci to death. But I don't think she would have made me feel safe after a dream like that." She blushed a little.

"Wanna talk about it?" He didn't want to push her too far.

"It's nothing spectacular when I'm awake. Just Sarah with the gun. She just wouldn't listen to me." Andy pushed her food around with her fork.

"Are they really that vivid?" Dov had never had nightmares of this nature. Andy nodded.

"They are. It's like you're stuck in that situation over and over again and you just can't change it. No matter how many times or how hard you try, you're just stuck. Reliving what you lost." Her voice became hollow, her mind lost in a maze she couldn't ever successfully escape from.

Dov reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"You're gonna be fine. They don't last forever." His eyes found hers.

"We hope." Andy sighed.

"Movies?" Dov's face broke into a smile.

"Oh, can we please watch Killers? It's that one with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. Pretty please?" Andy giggled.

"Fine. Fine! But I can't promise I won't fall asleep during, okay?" Dov wasn't about to argue.

"Let's do this!" Andy said, mocking their old drill sergeant. Dov collapsed in his chair into a fit of laughter, tears in his eyes when he finally settled down. They pushed the couch in front of the door to make more room in front of the TV, and built a makeshift bed on the floor.

They lay on their stomachs like kids at a slumber party, watching intently. After Andy's movie was over, it was Dov's turn to pick.

"Die Hard?" His eyes lit up, and she laughed.

"You look like a puppy that just got a new toy." She rolled onto her back, clutching her stomach as she laughed. "Go for it, Fido." Dov happily set the movie to play, and found them some snacks. Through the final scenes, he was practically saying the lines along with the actors. Andy stifled a laugh, he'd seen this movie way too many times. Dov turned around to look at her.

"What?" She asked him, leaning against the couch, painting her toenails.

"How are you not totally enthralled in this right now?" He asked, before looking at her freshly purple toenails. "You missed a spot." Dov pointed to one of her toes.

"Crap, you're right." Andy stuck out her tongue as she tried to fill in the gap.

After Die Hard, Dov put on Serendipity. He hated the movie, but Andy adored it.

"Dov?" She batted her eyes, her voice like sugar.

"What do you want?" Dov laughed. She smiled from ear to ear and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Foot rub?" She asked hopefully. He gave in, not really minding it as much as he made it seem.

"Fine." He pulled her legs onto his lap. "I am way too good to you, Andy McNally." She giggled and pressed her lips together.

"What?" Dov asked her.

"Andy Swarek." She said, her white teeth showing through her huge smile.

"What?" Dov dropped her foot. "You're getting married?"

"I may or may not be. But unless Sam is buying engagement rings for another girl and hiding them in his sock drawer, I'm pretty sure I am." Her voice skipped to a higher octave. Dov leaned forward and hugged her tightly, when he pulled away a huge grin had spread across his face.

"You're getting married!" His voice reverted to that of a twelve year old, and he laughed that nervous laugh of his. "Congratulations!" He hugged her again. Andy let out a joyful squeal.

"I can't believe it! I'm going to be his _wife_!" She giggled, clapping her hands together. They were like kids when they were together, they couldn't help it.

"You can't tell anyone though, got it?" Her face turned serious and she pointed at him.

"Alright! I swear on my life. My lips are sealed." He smiled at her. She leaned back and let her head rest on the couch cushion, before lifting her foot up and giggling.

Dov sighed and resumed rubbing her feet while the movie droned on in the background.

By the time the final scene of Serendipity faded to black, Andy was nearly asleep, Dov still rubbing her feet. He rubbed her legs a little bit to wake her.

"Andy, wake up. Do you want some lunch?" He looked outside. "Or, dinner, I guess?" She still didn't stir. "Andy." He sung her name. She groaned.

"I want you to give me a back massage, and then I want to go back to bed. You're amazing, Dov." She said, in a state of complete relaxation.

"I've heard that." He laughed.

"No, seriously. You're like a pocket spa technician." She stretched. In the kitchen, Andy's phone rang, but she didn't move.

"Are you gonna get that?" He asked. She groaned in response. He laughed at her, got up and jogged into the kitchen.

"It's Luke." He called back to her.

"Tell him I'm in the shower." She said, crawling onto the cushions they'd laid out on the floor. Dov flipped the phone open.

"Hello?" He used his best man voice.

"Sam?" Luke's voice came from the other end. A smile spread across his face. He knew he was manly, but not that manly.

"Dov." He replied.

"Oh, hey… Dov. Is Andy there?" He tried to hide the suspicious tinge in his voice, but did so unsuccessfully.

"She's just in the shower right now." He said, while giving her an animated look.

"Oh. Why are you at her house?" He threw in.

"She's at mine, actually." Dov said, proudly. Andy giggled from the living room.

"That's why she didn't answer her door." Luke said to more himself than anyone else.

"Well can I take a message or anything?"

"Yeah, actually. Can you tell her to stop screening my calls and getting people to cover for her? I just wanna talk." Luke's voice tightened, Dov could tell he was annoyed.

"Sure, when she's out of the shower." He snapped back. Luke hung up, and Dov snapped her phone shut.

"What did he want?" Andy called from the floor.

"Honestly, he sounded mad. He really wants to talk to you." Dov furrowed his eyebrows. Andy sighed and rubbed her eyes, before propping herself up on her elbows.

"Yeah, I've been kind of ignoring him. He called me right after Sam left, saying if I needed anything to call him." She explained. "But we both know that I'm not going to need what he's hoping I will." Andy tried to articulate her thoughts unsuccessfully, but Dov caught her drift.

"Let me know if he keeps bothering you, okay? He never really sat right with me." He admitted. Andy laughed and patted his hand.

"You really are like a protective older brother." She giggled.

"Well can you blame me? When you showed up here last night, you were terrified." There was no humour in his voice, he was genuinely concerned. She smiled at him demurely.

"I'm sure it's nothing." She said as she crawled over to him and settled her head in the crook of his neck. "He'll get over it." She sighed. Dov rested his arm on Andy's hip and gave her a little squeeze.

"I hope you're right."

The two best friends fell asleep and remained on the floor in the living room until about 7 PM. Andy's body tensed up and she woke, which in turn woke a sleeping Dov. She was breathing heavily.

"Another one?" He asked.

"Yeah. At least I woke up before it got bad." She put her hand on his shoulder. Andy loved having a man that she could cuddle with, but trust to not try anything. Dov had been her only means of survival in the Academy, and she his. It was stressful, and not unlike high school, they had a lot of drama to deal with. At the end of the day, they knew they could always turn to each other when everyone else was too busy for them.

"Well I think I should get going." Andy pulled herself off of the floor before helping him up.

"I'm driving you home." Dov said, not giving her any time to protest. He grabbed his keys while she went to grab her pillow.

Fifteen minutes later, they were outside her house.

"Now I want you to call me if you need me tonight, before you walk anywhere okay?" He leaned across the seat.

"Yes mother." Andy smiled brightly. She kissed him on the cheek before hopping out of his car. He waited until she was inside before driving home, admiring Toronto at night.

When he got home, he was greeted again by Dale's music. This time, there was no tolerance. He opened his neighbour's front door, walked through the living room and passed a once again intoxicated Dale and kicked the speakers out.

"Shush." He said, before walking back out the way he came. He happily stripped down and crawled into bed, settling comfortably into the calm of the night.

Hours passed, and Dov continued to lay awake. Every time he'd get close to sleep, a feeling of dread would overtake him. He fought it, and eventually found sleep.

But for the first time in years, he had a nightmare. He woke in a cold sweat, about ten minutes before his alarm was due to go off. Unable to recall what had plagued his dreams, Dov put his emotions aside and set about his day, all the while his thoughts never leaving one person.

Andy.

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_Dun, dun, duuuuuun._


	3. Trusting Your Instincts

So quite frankly, your reviews made me SO HAPPY! This one is pretty intense, I quite like it. I hope you all do too! 3

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Trusting Your Instincts

Dov dragged his feet into Parade, his hair still wet from his shower. He took his usual seat, next to Chris and Traci at the front of the room. The woman to his right turned to him.

"Have you seen Andy?" Traci asked. Dov's stomach hit the floor. "What's wrong?" She asked him, noticing his skin going pale.

"Is she not here?" He looked around the room.

"No, she's not answering her phone either. I thought she was with you." Traci furrowed her brows.

"She should have been." Dov mentally kicked himself. He leaned in close to Traci. "Is Callaghan here today?" Traci studied his face before breaking eye contact and calling Jerry over.

"Hey, Jer. Have you seen Luke at all today?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

"Ah, no. He called in sick today." He said, looping his fingers through his belt loops. Dov knew that it wasn't a sure thing, but it was enough for him.

"Chris, come with me." He grabbed his friends arm.

"What? Where?" Chris stuttered.

"Now!" Dov practically yelled. Obediently, Chris leapt from his chair and followed him out the door, rushing past Frank as he entered. Frank turned to the group of officers sitting before him.

"What was that about?" He said, pointing over his shoulder.

"I think they're going to find Andy?" Traci theorized, as she looked at Gail who was just as confused.

Outside, the two men sprinted to Dov's car. He sped out of the parking lot before Chris spoke.

"Dov, what is going on?" He pried as he held the handle above the door to support himself through Dov's sharp turns.

"Look, I've just gotta check something. Call it a hunch." He pressed the gas pedal down as far as he could, and the car accelerated through the intersection. He made it to Andy's in record time, still not answering Chris' question. He pulled a tumbler key out of his back pocket and unlocked the front door, signalling for Chris to keep quiet. He led the way up the stairs and paused, pointing out to Chris that the hallway door was locked. They stopped to listen for voices.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you little bitch." A man's voice said. "Open the damn door!" It took all of Dov's willpower to restrain himself from running in and shooting whoever was in her home. Of course, said willpower evaporated when he heard Andy's voice.

"Get out of here! Leave me alone!" She screamed back. Andy's next door neighbour poked her head in through the open front door.

"Ma'am, please stay outside." Chris whispered.

"That man? I've seen him before. She threw him out about two months ago from her apartment because he hit her." She whispered back. "I hope you get the bastard." She said before disappearing outside.

At that moment, a crash was heard and a blood curdling scream sounded down the hallway. Dov smashed open the hallway door, gun drawn. He rushed down the hall, Chris right behind him.

They turned into her bedroom to find her pinned underneath Luke Callaghan. He was sitting on her waist, his fist raised above her head.

"Let me go!" Andy sobbed under the weight of the detective.

"Callaghan! Off, now!" Chris yelled, louder than Dov had ever heard before. Luke turned to face them, revealing the left side of his head which was cut and bloodied. A wild look in his eyes, he brought his fist down on the side of her head, knocking her unconscious. Chris, who didn't have his gun out tackled the blonde man, crushing him to the floor.

Letting his rage get the best of him, Chris punched Luke square in the face before cuffing him. Dov secured his weapon and radioed for EMT's and backup before rushing to Andy's side. He tried to jostle her awake, with no success.

"Andy? Andy, it's me. Wake up." He whispered to her, while checking her pulse and listening to her breathing. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" He swore over and over again as he turned to survey the scene. He realized now just how gruesome it had been.

Blood littered the floor in front of the bedroom door, trailing from the doorway to the bed. Dov turned to look for the source of the blood and almost vomited when he saw Andy's leg. It was the most disgusting break he'd ever seen, the bone protruding at least two inches outside of her skin.

"Holy shit! Chris, get me the kit from the car right now!" Dov ordered, while he searched for something to tie off her leg with. He prayed she didn't wake up until the paramedics got some drugs into her, the pain would have been too much to bear. A feeling of horrible guilt washed over him as he watched her lay there, unconscious. He knew he had to wait for photographs to be taken of her in order to press charges, but he hated himself for following that protocol. He heard the sirens outside as Chris re-entered the room with the kit. Dov pulled out some gauze and began to soak up the blood still leaking from her leg. The EMT's rushed in and quickly sized up the situation. Dov followed them to the ambulance and hopped in after they'd secured her. He shot a pointed look at Chris, which he understood perfectly.

Chris pulled out his phone and first called Best, and then Traci who was hysterical halfway through the call.

"Traci, she's fine. Her leg is pretty bad but she'll be okay." He used his soothing voice.

"Oh my god, I can't believe he did this. I'm gonna meet you at the hospital okay?" Traci whimpered into the phone.

"Honestly, Traci, I think he was wasted. And can you bring Gail?" Chris said quietly. Traci agreed and they said their goodbyes.

They met up at the hospital and walked into emergency to find Dov pacing, and prying the nurses for information. He knew she'd be fine, but he was still terrified. Chris stopped everyone in the doorway for a minute, and they watched him.

"No, I'm serious. She is really, really allergic to coconut. Like, anaphylactic shock allergic." He was telling the nurse.

"Officer, I promise I won't let any rogue bakers back there, okay? Everything's fine." The nurse spoke condescendingly.

"Her blood type is AB positive!" He called down the hallway.

"I know." The nurse retorted, not even turning to look at him as she walked away. Dov took a seat in one of the dark chairs and let his head fall into his hands.

"Dov, she's gonna be okay. It really isn't that bad." Chris stood in front of him while the two women sat on either side.

"I had a feeling this would happen, and I didn't act on it. And now look where we are." He gritted his teeth together.

"Dov, it isn't your fault, you couldn't have done anything. She'll just be happy to have you here when she wakes up." Gail said softly as she rubbed his back. Dov turned and looked at her with bewildered eyes. She simply smiled back. Chris stifled a laugh, pregnancy hormones can really change things up.

Dov practically leaped out of his chair when a nurse came to talk to them.

"The break is really, quite severe, as you saw. They're going to operate; it should take about an hour. She's regained consciousness, but we have her sedated in order to prep her for the surgery. If you'd like to see her, you can; one at a time and only for about two minutes each." The petite nurse led them through the triage doors and into a small stall, separated from the next by curtains. "She's on as much morphine as we can give her, so if things get bad, just call me and we'll put her under." Dov nodded. He was the first one to go in.

He pulled aside the curtain and his stomach tightened when he saw her lying in the white bed in front of him. He traced his finger up her good leg and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Hey you. How're you holding up?" She asked him, her words slurred. He laughed.

"How am I? You're the one in the hospital!" He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the bedside.

"No, you're in the hospital!" Andy laughed. Yeah, the morphine was definitely working. Dov patted her hand.

"Calm down now, tiger." He laughed, trying to keep her still. Her sweats had been cut away, and her leg was being immobilized by a metal splint.

"So tell me, what happened?" Andy spoke, her eyes wide. At first, Dov thought she may have been afraid, but he realized that she was just looking at him that way because she was about as high as a kite.

"Let's not think about that right now." He hushed her.

"Alriiiiight." Andy groaned, her eyes still wide. A dopey smile spread across her face.

"Can I get you anything?" He hoped she didn't ask for food. Andy's brows furrowed, and her lips curved downwards.

"I want Sam." She whispered. A tear escaped down her cheek, and she tried to wipe it away, but the drugs made her movements laboured and erratic.

"Don't worry; he'll be home soon enough." Dov said, reaching up to wipe away her tear.

"Alright, officers." The nurse pulled back the curtain. "It's time." Dov kissed Andy on the forehead and squeezed her hand. When he exited the small room, brushing past the other nurses that had come to prep his friend; he was greeted by three annoyed looks from the other rookies.

"Two minutes Dov. That's what the nurse said." Traci began.

"But no. You took like ten. Now we don't get to see her!" Gail fumed. Chris began to rub his girlfriends back and gave Dov an apologetic look.

"Look, all we can do now is wait. She said it would be an hour, right? I'll check with Best, but I'm sure we'll all be able to stay." Chris said as he pulled out his phone and turned away. Without a moments notice, Gail threw her arms around Dov and started crying into his shoulder.

"Oh god, what's happening to us? We're cops, we're the good guys. Oh, poor Andy. Poor, sweet Andy." She sobbed. Dov's eyes nearly popped out of his head and he silently begged Traci, who was staring back at him just as alarmed, for help.

"Gail, sweetie. Let's go get you some food okay?" Traci guided the blonde woman away.

"I love food." Gail cried to herself as they walked away. Dov braced himself on a nearby counter as he laughed and Chris approached.

"…What?" Chris was confused.

"Your girlfriend, man. How do you deal with that?" Dov said through his laughter.

"I buy her lots of cupcakes and I don't talk much." Chris admitted. "But with the mood swings come a sex drive kicked up about eight notches, which I really don't mind." He raised an eyebrow at Dov.

"Nice, man." He was happy for Chris and Gail; they'd really warmed up to the idea of being parents. Gail was almost four months along now, and she'd begun to feel flutters in her stomach. She'd had a good day a few days ago, and she'd run around the bullpen in her civvies making everyone feel her stomach. Every time there would be movement, she'd squeal with delight and text Chris to let him know.

"Waiting room?" Dov suggested. Chris nodded and they made their way outside.

The wait was ultimately uneventful. About 45 minutes after they wheeled Andy in, a nurse came out into the waiting room, her hair falling out of its bun. She walked over to them and leaned on the table to Dov's left.

"Okay, officers. First off I owe you an apology." Dov straightened up.

"What happened? Is Andy okay?" His voice cracked and the nurse's face went red.

"She's fine. However, our surgeon had a homemade coconut smoothie for lunch." The nurse continued to blush. "She reacted badly about half way through the operation. We were able to stabilize her and finish, but she's going to be out for a few more hours than originally planned." Dov ran his hands through his hair.

"I told you." He said quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll come get you when you can see her." And she left.

Chris had Traci take Gail home; her morning sickness hadn't quite run its course yet. They remained in the waiting room until the sky outside blackened. Dov had begun to nod off in his chair when the sliding doors opened and a familiar scent floated through the air. When he looked up, his heart jump started when he saw who'd entered the room. Discretely, he pinched Chris' arm. He pretended to stretch and whispered into Chris' ear.

"Look who it is." Chris slowly let his gaze drift upwards and settled on a dark haired man. Dov straightened in his seat as Sam Swarek trudged into the room, his face sullen. He sat two seats to the left of Dov. Reaching over, he grabbed one of the magazines on the table.

Dov knew better than to say anything to him. It had been a rocky op as it was, and he was risking everything being here. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam pull out a pen. Being as subtle as he could, he watched Sam scrawl a message and angle it his way.

He squinted to read it. '_How is she?_' his messy black printing read. Dov turned to Chris.

"So when we got her to the hospital, she was unconscious from a blow to the head. Her leg was broken really badly, so they took her into surgery. She came into contact with coconut, and that caused some complications, but she's okay. We'll be allowed in when she wakes up." Chris gave Dov a very confused face. "Go with it." Dov whispered, before continuing. "I got to talk to her before she went in, and all she could talk about was her boyfriend." He shifted a bit so he could see Sam. "She really misses him. She spent the first night he was gone with me because she couldn't bare to sleep in their bed without him." Sam cringed.

Opening his magazine again, he scribbled down another word. '_Who?_' Dov turned to his friend once more.

"Promise you won't do anything stupid, but it was Callaghan. He blew a .24 when we got him down to the station." He said to Chris. When he leaned back in his seat, he saw Sam's fists clenching and unclenching. One last time, he wrote something in the magazine before closing it, and placing it back on the table. He made eye contact with Dov and tapped the cover of the flimsy tabloid.

His jaw clenched, Sam got up and walked with force out of the room, sucking all of the oxygen out with him. Dov quickly reached over and grabbed the magazine. On the last page, Sam had written a message Dov would never forget.

'_I'll be at home at 9 AM tomorrow, see if you can bring her home. No matter what happens, you protect her._'

Dov showed Chris the magazine.

"Dude, what did you just do?"


	4. Fighting Through It

You have no idea how much getting your leg set can hurt. I threw in a bit about Gail in here, I love pregnant women and their crazy hormones.

Thank you for all your reviews and encouragement!

Fighting Through It

Dov threw the magazine back on the table and started to get up from his chair, but Chris stopped him.

"No. You need to be here when she wakes up. I'll change into my civvies and track him down." Chris interjected, jumping up from his seat.

"No! He'll be made. Sit." He ordered.

"Well what are we supposed to do? He's gonna go after him!" Chris said, his voice hushed; people were beginning to stare.

"Call Gail, and ask her to keep Callaghan in booking for as long as she can. Once they process him, get her to set him up in interview one and get Jerry to stall. He's gotta stay in all night, otherwise Sam is gonna get to him." Dov instructed quietly.

"Okay." Chris said, taking a leap of faith. He knew nothing could stop Sam when he was angry, especially when it involved Andy. He stood up and left the waiting room, pulling out his phone. He looked back at Dov, who was running his hands through his hair, and prayed he was right.

Chris had only been outside for about ten minutes when the nurse re-entered the room, looking even more dishevelled than she had before. Dov leapt to his feet.

"Is she okay?" His voice cracked. The nurse smiled, a slight pitiful glint in her eye.

"She is, she's fine. Her BP dropped so we had to wake her up. She doesn't know what's going on, and we've already gone over on her morphine." The nurse reached out and touched Dov's arm. "She's in a lot of pain, but we can't give her anything else. I think you should be in there right now." Her eyes lowered to the floor. "It's going to be at least four hours before we can give her another dose. A very long four hours."

Dov sighed heavily and nodded before following the nurse into Andy's private room, bracing for what they were about to go through.

He entered the room to find the brunette woman lying in a similar hospital bed, gripping the railings that ran down the sides.

"Stop! Stop, my leg is okay where it is." Andy choked out, tears streaming down her face.

"Ms. McNally, we have to elevate it in order for the blood to circulate normally." The doctor explained.

"Can't it wait until you can knock me out again?" Andy pleaded. The doctor pointed to her leg.

"You see how it's going purple here, around the wound?" He wiggled his finger a little. "That's because the blood is already pooling. We need to lift your leg." He insisted, before turning to Dov. "Officer, maybe you could sit beside your friend and hold her hand while we reposition her leg?"

Dov nodded obediently and rushed to Andy's side. He brushed the hair off of her face and kissed her forehead. Her tanned skin glistened with sweat underneath the fluorescent lights, her face contorted by the pain she was feeling. Dov took her hand and sat in the chair next to her.

"It's almost over, okay? I swear." He leaned in and spoke quietly into her ear. She looked at him and smiled, or at least tried to.

"I guess this is gonna be Gail in a few short months, hey?" She breathed. "Sweating and screaming her head off in a hospital bed."

"Yeah that's true." Dov smiled back at her.

"Alright, Ms. McNally. On the count of three, then it will be over." The doctor said, directing the nurses around her leg. Andy squeezed Dov's hand as the doctor counted down.

"Three… Two… One!" The doctor said as he and the nurses began to shift her body. Andy squeezed Dov's hand harder than he thought possible as she screamed out in pain. She jerked her body away from the doctor's reach and ended up causing more pain than necessary.

"Officer, please try to calm her down!" The doctor yelled as everyone tried to restrain her before she did more damage.

"Stop! Please, stop, I can't do this! It hurts!" Andy sobbed, her fingers still wrapped around Dov's hand. She was facing him, and although her eyes were closed, Dov could imagine the amber storms beneath here eyelids. He ran his hand down the side of her face, and leaned in so their noses were almost touching.

"Sam was here." He whispered. Her eyes shot open.

"What? Where is he? Is he okay?" She tried to sit up, but Dov pressed her shoulders down.

"He's fine, he's just worried about you." Dov spoke softly.

"Oh god." Andy squeezed his fingers. "You didn't tell him it was Luke, did you?" Dov looked at his feet.

"I kinda did." He admitted.

"Damnit, Dov! He's gonna kill him!" Andy's voice became frantic.

'Nope, nope. It's taken care of. Luke's gonna be in custody all night, an officer outside his cell at all times." Dov assured her. She fell back onto the bed and sighed.

"He also said that he'd be at your place at 9 AM tomorrow. So we've gotta get you out of here." He patted her hand. "So you gotta be tough, okay? They've got to do one more adjustment, and then it's just a matter of time until we can get out of here." He whispered. Andy nodded her head, and gave the doctor the okay.

Just then, Chris poked his head in the room.

"Chris, hold her other hand." Dov directed him to the other side of the bed.

"One more time, okay Andy?" The doctor handed her a cold cloth. "We're just going to twist your leg a bit. You may want to bite this." Andy's eyes clouded with tears.

"I don't want to do this." She whispered. Chris leaned down and like Dov had, he kissed her hand and held it in his.

"You're going to do this, because you're a McNally. And you've got to get home to your boyfriend tomorrow, right?" He said to her, a courage in his voice that he knew she needed. Andy put the cloth into her mouth and nodded. She started to cry again before the nurses had even touched her.

The doctor nodded at them and one last time, and they began to move her leg. Andy pressed herself back into the bed and screamed through the cloth in her mouth, and held on to Chris and Dov for dear life.

It was only about ten seconds of movement that was needed, but Andy cried for half an hour after that, not once letting go of the men at her sides. Only when the doctor came in asking for the room did they get up to leave.

Dov looked at her one last time before they left. "Love you, sister. I'm right here, okay?" He said softly.

"I love you too, Andy. You're gonna be fine." Chris added, his face white. When they reached the hallway, the dark haired man let out a breath and collapsed into a chair.

"Hey, man. Are you okay?" Dov asked tentatively.

"That's going to be Gail in 23 weeks." Chris whispered. "Then I'm gonna be a Dad." Dov laughed.

"You, my friend, need a beer." He said, clapping his friend on the back. "You're gonna be a great Dad, I know it. Now, let's go see when we can take our girl home."

The two spoke to a nurse that they flagged down, and resumed waiting for the clock to strike ten. When the time did roll around, Andy was wheeled out of her room with a huge plaster cast surrounding her broken limb and a large purple gash on the side of her head. Dov cringed at the sight of her; a fury similar to Sam's boiling in his stomach.

"Ready to go?" He asked, taking over pushing the chair for the nurse.

"Can I stay at your house, please?" She asked quickly.

"I was going to make you. Or I was at least going to crash on your couch." Dov laughed. He wheeled her over to the front desk where the nurse was preparing Andy's meds.

"Give her two of these every four hours." She said, handing him a bottle of blue pills. "And she can take up to three of these painkillers in eight hours, they're quite strong. And even when her leg is better, she can't drive for at least one week after she takes her last pill, it'll take a while to work its way out of her system." She turned to look at Andy. "Your follow up is one week from today. We'll contact you with the time, okay?" Andy nodded.

"Thanks for everything." Dov nodded to the nurse. She winked at him.

"You take care of her now." She waved to them as Dov wheeled Andy out to his car, where Chris stood with the door open. He helped her into the front seat.

"You good?" Dov checked before he closed the door at her nod. Chris hopped in the back while Dov walked around to the driver's side.

They took Chris home to an ecstatic Gail that ran down the front steps of her house to meet them.

"The baby's kicking! I can feel it!" She flung her arms around Chris' neck. She then ran to Andy's door and motioned for her to roll down the window. She grabbed Andy's hand and placed it on her stomach.

"Feel!" She shrieked for the thousandth time that day. Andy looked up at her, eyes wide.

"I can feel it!" She yelled back. The two women squealed with delight while the two men stood next to each other on the sidewalk. It didn't matter that no one could understand what they were saying, Dov was just glad to see Andy smiling earnestly again.

After Dov got to feel Gail's stomach, he kissed the blonde on the cheek and clapped Chris on the shoulder before he climbed back into the car.

"Home?" He asked. Andy nodded sleepily as he pulled out and drove off into the night. When he parked the car in the driveway, he realized that this was going to be a long night. He walked around to Andy's side of the car and held her under her arms and lifted her out of the car. He squinted as he pushed his muscles to their limits.

"I'm not that fat, am I?" Andy asked, alarmed.

"No, definitely not." Dov laughed. "But your cast adds about 50 pounds, and I am not the strongest guy around." He propped her up against the side of the car and grabbed her overnight bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Grabbing her crutches from the back seat, he helped her hobble to the front door, before cursing it all to hell.

"Hold on." He directed her arms around his neck as he picked her up and carried her up the stairs. Andy took his keys and opened the door, turning on the lights as he carried her in.

Dov managed to lug her all the way to his bedroom before placing her as gently as possible onto his bed. He placed her bag near the door before pulling off his shirt.

"Whoa Dov, you don't mess around." Andy laughed.

"Hey, it's hot in here. I just carried you in." He pointed at her, laughing back. He grabbed a few pillows and set them up behind her head, and then did the same for her leg.

"Do you need anything?" He asked her, leaning against the door frame.

"Water would be great, thanks." She smiled gratefully.

"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten all day." He raised one eyebrow.

"I can't even think about eating right now." She laughed. "I promise I'll eat when I feel better." Dov sighed.

"Alright, I'll be right back." He jogged off down the hallway. When he returned and climbed into bed, he was a little surprised when Andy promptly rolled over onto his side of the bed, and snuggled up to him.

"I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight." She whispered.

"Me either." He squeezed her a little.

She paused, but then started to cry.

"I didn't think he would ever do this." She sniffed. "I didn't think he'd ever be so violent."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Dov whispered, knowing she'd have to give her statement tomorrow.

She shivered and splayed her palm out on his chest. "He showed up totally wasted. Walked right in. I ran to my room, but he caught me and pushed me into the wall. I grabbed the vase off the hall table and –" She choked out a sob. "And I smashed him on the side of the head. He fell and I made it to my room."

"You're okay." Dov whispered, as a few more tears escaped her eyes.

"He started yelling at me, and I grabbed my bat. I went to open the door, but he kicked it down first, and that's when my leg got hurt." She sniffed again and continued. "Then he pinned me down, and you walked in. Then I woke up in the hospital." He brushed her hair out of her face.

"He's never, ever going to come near you again. Never. He's gone." Dov reassured her, but she started to hyperventilate.

"I really just want Sam to come home." Andy breathed heavily.

"Here. Have a drink." Dov handed her a glass of water. She took a sip before handing it back to him, noticing a pained look in his blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked, trying to lift herself up. He wrapped his arm around her, and she again nestled her head into the crook of his neck.

"I should have made you stay with me." He said, ashamed.

"Stop it. This was not your fault in any way, shape or form." She pointed her finger at him. He looked at her and knew she was wrong, praying that the melatonin he'd slipped in her drink would take effect soon. She needed the rest, and he needed a break from his own mind.

"We'll see what Sam has to say about that." He smiled at her. "Night, Andy."

"Sweet dreams." She replied, sleepily.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips, and Dov prepared himself for the long night ahead. As much as he hoped Andy would be able to make it through the night, he also reserved some hope for himself.

He glanced down at Andy, who was staring at the wall.

"Wake me up if you need to." He whispered.

"You're going to sleep?" She asked quietly.

"I just want to get the nightmares over with." He responded, his voice weaker than intended.

"I'll be here when you wake up." Andy whispered almost inaudibly into his ear.

Eight AM couldn't have come fast enough.


	5. Best Thing About Me

savour the joy in this one, i don't think the next is going to be as lovey.

all of your reviews are so amazing, it makes me smile for days on end. thanks so much for the support!

Best Thing About Me

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"Dov, wake up." Andy whispered hoarsely. She could barely move, her leg throbbing. But she knew she needed to wake him up. She first noticed something was wrong when she awoke to his body covered in goose bumps, and his breathing growing shallow.

"Wake up!" She tried to shake him as best she could, but with no success. His body began to shake softly and he tossed his head to the side. Andy took a deep breath and let out a blood curdling scream.

Dov jolted awake, and within a second he had lifted her into his lap.

"What happened? Are you okay?" His voice was raspy and panicked. She placed her palm on his forearm.

"Dov, I'm fine. You were having a nightmare, you wouldn't wake up." Andy searched his face for remnants of what he'd just witnessed while sleeping. He lowered his eyes a little.

"Well I'm awake now." He did his best to laugh.

"Tell me what happened?" Now it was her turn to make him face his fears. He didn't answer her, so Andy tilted his chin up, so his eyes met hers.

"I can't remember." He spat out, shaking his head. Andy ran her hands down to his shoulders.

"Are you sure you can't remember, or do you just not want to tell me?" Her eyes never once left his.

"Not sure yet." Dov said, releasing Andy and falling back onto the bed.

"I've been dealing with these for almost a month now. I won't judge." Andy assured him, still propped up on her elbows.

"How do you deal with them?" He tilted his head a bit to face her.

"I don't sleep." Andy admitted quietly. Dov hoisted himself out of bed and grabbed her crutches.

"Let's go get some breakfast." He smiled.

"Why? I can just make something here." Andy said, a little uneasy.

"What's wrong? You never turn down pancakes from that diner on Church." He said, his voice muffled by his shirt being pulled over his head. He looked over at her, still lying on the bed, and he knew what was wrong.

"Nothing's going to happen, Andy." He moved over to the bed and sat next to her.

"I just get scared sometimes." She pushed her hair back over her shoulders. "Trouble seems to find me, if you hadn't noticed." She nibbled on her bottom lip.

"How about the drive through at that other place, then we'll just go back to your place and wait for your boyfriend?" He was willing to compromise. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to come after him too, for traumatizing his Andy.

"That sounds great." Andy smiled. "Can you toss me the purple shirt from my bag, and those grey sweats?" She pointed vaguely to his left. He searched through her bag and found the desired clothing and tossed them at her. She squealed and stuck her tongue out.

"Turn around." She ordered, making little circles with her index finger.

"Come on, Andy. What are we, twelve? I've seen women in their underwear before." He walked over to his dresser and spoke to her through the mirror hanging on the wall in front of him. "Hell, I've seen you in your underwear many times before. What's different now?" Andy laughed.

"That was different!" She pointed at him.

"How? You've never hesitated to strip in front of me before. You barely wore clothes for half of our down time at the Academy." He laughed, searching through his drawer for socks.

"I'm getting fat." Andy shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. Dov scoffed.

"You, fat? Just change already, Andy." Dov said, fiddling with his belt. He was rewarded by a cheerful laugh.

"I mean, I'm just, whatever." Andy gave in and struggled to get her T-shirt over her head. Dov leaned against the dresser and laughed at her.

"Don't laugh at me!" Andy half whined, half giggled, her shirt stuck over her head. "Help!" She waved the hand that was visible over the top of her shirt.

"Women." Dov joked, walking over to help. "Jesus, Andy. What did you do here?" He said, trying to untie the knot that was preventing her from disrobing.

"I wasn't really concerned with my clothing last night. I must have just tied it in a knot instead of the usual bow." She mumbled through the blue fabric. Dov laughed as he slowly began to unravel the tie. Eventually, he did get her loose and he slid her top off over her head with ease. Andy grabbed the purple top off the bed and quickly put it on. Dov gave her a curious look, but she just smiled sheepishly in response.

After about five more minutes and countless laughs, Andy had finally managed to get her sweatpants on. Dov helped her out to the car and smiled to himself when he saw Dale watching from the front window of his house.

"She's so hot!" He mouthed. Dov just shook his head and climbed into the car.

"The usual?" He asked as they pulled up to the Daybreak Diner.

"What happened to the drive through?" She said, holding onto her seatbelt.

"I know you like this place better than that other one. I'll be right back." Dov hopped out of the car and jogged to the door, holding it open for an old woman before entering.

"Always the good guy." Andy laughed. About five minutes later, he re-emerged, his arms full with bags of food. He stuffed them all into one arm and opened the door, and Andy extended her arms to catch the almost falling bags.

"Whoa, there! Enough food?" Andy laughed as she pulled not four, but five bags out of his arms and piled them in her lap.

"Well, I was ordering, and then I realized that Sam was probably going to be really hungry. So I doubled up." Dov smiled his quirky smile and put the car in gear.

"Excited?" Dov asked as he pulled out onto the road.

"Yeah." Andy smiled broadly. "It's only been three days, and I miss him more than I could ever have imagined." Her face fell. "The latest word is that this op is gonna take at least three months." She chewed on her lip. "I really, really don't know what I'm gonna do." She sighed and entangled her fingers in each other.

"You can always stay with me, if you don't want to be at home." Dov said, taking a bite out of his hash brown while still trying to steer.

"Oh Dov, I could never. I've only been stayed with you two nights this week, and it's been hell. You need a life too. You need to sleep too." She took the wheel while he searched for a napkin.

"Andy, let's face it. After that whole thing yesterday, I will not be sleeping for a while. I had no idea how something could resonate like this, but if last night was any indication, sleep is not anywhere in my near future."

"Mine either, trust me." She agreed, tousling her hair a little.

"You didn't sleep last night?" Dov looked at her, his mouth full. She laughed.

"Dov! Chew, swallow." Her words barely comprehensible through her laughter. Dov's face immediately broke into a smile and he struggled to keep the food in his mouth while he laughed. When he did finally get the situation under control, he repeated his question.

"No." Andy admitted.

"At all?" Dov could've sworn she'd been asleep when he'd finally succumbed to the alluring idea of sleep.

"I don't think so. Sometimes, I'd like almost fall asleep, but something would startle me or scare me and I'd wake up. Then you started having nightmares so I just tried to make sure you were okay."

"Why didn't you just wake me up? I would've stayed awake with you." He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Because, sleep is good." She patted his cheek as they pulled up to the curb out front of her house. Dov got out of the car and walked around to open hers, but noticed a change in her demeanour. Her eyes were wide and glassy, her mouth hung open and her hands were wrapped into fists as she stared at the house. He opened her door.

"Just think about who will be waiting for you inside that door." He said softly. Andy looked up at him defiantly.

"Not Luke." She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car, taking Dov's hand firmly in her own. He helped her up the stairs, bags of food clutched in his other hand. She timidly reached out and unlocked the door, pushing it open. Dov took the first steps in, before putting down the food and helping Andy over the ledge of the door.

"You should use those crutches." He laughed, but Andy didn't hear him. Her ears perked up, and once again her eyes grew wide. Dov opened his mouth to speak, but she shushed him.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered. Dov listened for a minute, and sure enough a small noise could be heard from upstairs.

"Wait here. Don't move." Dov said. "I'll be right back."

"No!" She grabbed his arm. "I'm coming!"

"You have a mountain of plaster on your leg. How are you going to get up the stairs?" Dov pointed at her cast.

"Very carefully." She started towards the stairs. Dov stepped in front of her, feeling better now that he was first in the line of fire. The pair made it to the top of the stairs, and Dov felt goose bumps explode over Andy's body as they realized the noise was coming from her bedroom.

Slowly, quietly, Dov led the way down the hall, his body tensed and fists raised.

He stopped short when he entered the room to see Sam, on his hands and knees scrubbing Andy's blood off of the floor. Sam looked up and leapt to his feet.

Dov stepped aside as Sam rushed past him and wrapped Andy into a passionate embrace. Andy's arms tightened around his neck, pulling him into her. She started to cry.

"I miss you so much." Her voice was muffled from speaking into his shoulder. "I want you to come home to me." Tears overflowed her eyes, her fingers clawing at his back.

"I know, baby. I want to come home too." Sam whispered back, rocking back and forth slightly. "It's only gonna be a little while longer, I promise." Sam, himself, choked back a sob as he felt Andy's body shake against him. "I'll be home before you know it."

"I want you to come home now." She sobbed freely into him. Sam felt Dov's hand on his shoulder.

"There's food downstairs. You two go, I'll finish up here." Sam nodded at him and picked Andy up, carrying her down the stairway of their still new home.

Dov turned and rolled up his sleeves, picking up the brush Sam had been using. He dipped it into whatever lemon scented cleaner was in the bucket next to him, and began scrubbing.

Downstairs, Andy collapsed onto Sam on the couch.

"I don't want you to do undercover again." She ignored how selfish she sounded; she just never wanted to be without him again. "It's too dangerous." She whispered. He ran his hands up and down her back, his warm, soothing hands slowly calming her.

"It's not fair. They always pick you because you're the best. Well, the best needs a break. The best needs to stay home with me, not always be off saving the goddamn world." Andy whimpered, her breathing speeding up again. "It isn't fair. I don't, this is… what if, you. No." She stuttered, and settled for a single word.

Sam smiled at her and kissed her head.

"I'm safe, baby. I promise. And when this is over, and I get that huge bonus cheque…" Sam sat up and took her hands in his. "Let's go on the best, most extravagant honeymoon known to man." He looked deep into her eyes, which had widened drastically.

"Honeymoon?" She whispered, her breath catching. Sam's dimples made an appearance as he slowly lowered himself off of the couch.

Upstairs, Dov heard what was happening. He practically ran to the dresser, and began searching through the drawers. Eventually, he found a small blue box tucked inside a pair of socks. Quietly, he made his way to the top of the stairs.

"Andrea. When I was a little boy, I remember my parents being so in love. They'd dance in the living room, and sing to each other, they had nothing without one another." Andy's eyes watered as Sam knelt in front of her. "'_I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you_'. My dad would say it to my mom every night before they went to sleep. And she'd reply '_you are nothing short of my everything_'." He gently took her hands in his. "Until the day I met you, I never thought I'd be able to say that to anyone. I was content with the loneliness that I'd felt for years. Now, I'll be damned if I didn't make you mine forever." He noticed Dov at the top of the stairs with the small blue box. A little puzzled, Sam threw away his suspicions and opened his hands. Dov tossed the box down and it landed perfectly in his palm. "I love you, Andy, and when you're in love, what more or less is a cloud in the sky?" He opened the small box, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

Andy leaned down and kissed him, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Of course I will. The best thing about me is you." She whispered, and he kissed her tears away. He gently slid the ring onto her finger and she smiled brighter than Dov had ever seen.

Sam lifted her up into his arms and spun her around, grinning like a fool. Dov checked his watch, it was almost ten AM. He knew Sam wouldn't be able to stay much longer, so he returned to his scrubbing and prepared himself for the devastation that would rock Andy when she had to watch her fiancé walk out the door.

His heart ached for her; he knew how it felt to lose the one you love. He shook his head and cursed himself for losing Edie, but regained his composure. She was the past, and right now, he needed to focus on Andy.

A few minutes later, Sam came in to the room, sans Andy. He lowered himself onto the bed, his head resting in his hands.

"Dov, I need you to do something for me." He said, words pulling more weight than imaginable.

* * *

eeeep!


	6. The Hardest Part

This one is quite depressing. Andy's feeling alone and lost, and with good cause, seeing everything that's happened.

Before I go, though, I have to clear up a few things. I know the Luke attack was kind of unprovoked, but let's assume they broke up before Sarah's suicide, which took place three fics and a month ago. Poor Luke, it's so eaasy to make him the bad guy.

Second, Gail is pregnant. How far along is kinda sketchy. All we know is that the baby has begun to kick, and shit's getting real! :D

Thank you to everyone for your fantastic reviews, and a special thank you to FireEthereal for pointing out the flaws in my timeline. It is appreciated, really! I'm always looking to improve!

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The Hardest Part

Dov tugged at his shirt as he leaned against the dresser opposite Sam.

"What's up?" Dov asked, doing his best to keep his mood in good spirits. Sam looked at the door. Down stairs, they could hear Andy walking around, her cast thumping on the hardwood. Sam closed the door before continuing.

"This is a huge bust." He dropped himself onto the bed and rubbed his eyes. "Like really, really huge Dov." His voice was strained.

"Isn't that good? You wanted to shut the ring down, isn't that what you're doing?" Dov tried to understand.

"What's the first thing they taught you about undercover in the Academy, Dov?" Sam asked. Dov just cocked his head in return and narrowed his eyes. "When the stakes get higher, everything becomes more dangerous. The stakes, Dov, are the height of freakin' Mount Everest right now. I'm being told that there will be snipers at the deal, and I'm not allowed to wear a vest." Dov could see anger boiling over in Sam's eyes.

"And they're still sending you in? They can't do that!" He was shocked.

"They say they've got me covered. And either way, I can't walk away from this, not now." His voice lowered.

"But what about Andy?" Dov walked towards the raven haired man. "Have you told her about this?"

"I can't." Sam shook his head. "She'd lose her mind."

"How can I help?" Dov took a seat next to Sam. "There has to be some way that I can help you." Sam visibly swallowed his fear and turned to face the young, eager rookie.

"I don't know if I'm coming home from this one. It very well could be a suicide mission. I'm scared as hell, but Dov, these women and girls, they're being _sold_. I can't walk away from it." Sam rubbed his hands together. "After this one, I'm finished. I'm telling Best that the only way I'll ever do UC work again is if she's right beside me the whole time."

He took a deep breath and did his best to continue. "Look at me, Dov." Sam's eyes pierced through his. "I just asked that woman to marry me. Without her, I am nothing. While I'm gone, I need you to take care of her." His voice began to shake. "She's gonna be scared, really, really scared. You either have to stay here, or keep her at your place. Just don't leave her alone, ever. If she wants to start planning the wedding, whatever she wants, she gets." He handed him his debit card, Dov responded with wide eyes. "I don't care what it is, or what it costs, just keep my baby happy and safe."

"Of course. Of course." Dove promised.

"If she's not ready to go back to work when her leg is healed, Best already said she could take a few of my sick and vacation days. And, so can you. Never leave her side, got it?"

"Everything will be fine, Sam." Dov said honestly. "I'm gonna tell you what I tell her. Just think about how much you have to look forward to; the wedding, starting a family. It'll all be worth it, every single second." Sam stood up and Dov followed suit. Dov held out his hand for Sam to shake, but was surprised when Sam just pulled him into a brief man hug.

"Thank you, Dov. Really." He meant what he said. "I know I'm asking a lot from you. But just, do this for her."

"Are you kidding? I was going to camp out on the front steps if she didn't let me in." Dov laughed nervously again. Sam turned and began to leave, but stopped after about two steps.

"I really don't want to do this." He whispered.

"Greater good, man. Think about the millions of babies you can have when you get back." Dov clapped a hand on his shoulder. "She's in good hands." Sam nodded and led the way down the stairs.

"Anything happens to me, please. Take care of her." He whispered as they rounded the corner.

As Andy sat on the couch, her leg up on the coffee table and watched the two most important people in her life walk down the stairs in front of her, her heart began to sink. She knew she'd have to say goodbye, she just wasn't able to prepare herself for it. Sam hadn't even reached the bottom step and she'd already started to cry. He walked over to her and she shook her head, not being able to articulate what she was feeling.

Sam felt so guilty for leaving her, but he knew he had to. He enveloped her in a warm, strong hug and kissed her neck.

"I know." He whispered as he touched his nose to hers, looking deep into her eyes. "It'll be over soon, I promise."

"Can you come back next week again?" Andy's voice was high pitched and breathless.

"Yeah. I'll work something out. Same time?" He smiled at her, and his dimples broke her heart again. She nodded, tears leaving tracks down her cheeks. He kissed her forehead, and then her lips. "I promise. Until then, honey, Dov's got you." He tried to get through to her, but more crying ensued.

"I don't want you to go." She sobbed like a little girl that lost her puppy.

"I love you, Andy. I love you more than anything. Never forget that. I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you." He whispered, breathing in the scent of her skin one last time.

"You are nothing short of my everything." His body shook as he began to move away from her after one more kiss. He wiped his eyes and reached for the door knob.

"No, no, no, no." Andy cried as Dov sat down next to her and folded his arms around her.

The image of Sam standing in front of the door, tears in his eyes, knowing full well that he may never see the love of his life, would forever stay with Dov. He knew this as the dark haired man finally blew a kiss to his fiancé and left.

Dov brought one hand up to Andy's head and leaned back so she was lying on top of him. In that moment, he felt so small. He knew nothing he could every say, or do, would ever mend her heart. He looked down at his hands as they stroked Andy's back and hair, slowly soothing the sobs that racked the woman's body.

"Its okay, Andy. It's alright." He kissed the top of her head and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Dov, what if something happens to him?" She cried.

"Nothing will happen, nothing. I promise you." He whispered back, not trusting his voice.

"Listen to me." She raised her head and looked at him. "If something happens to him, I don't know if I'll be able to keep going." Her voice barely audible. "Never forget how much I love you okay?" She didn't have to say it, but Dov knew what she meant.

"Andrea! Stop it. Stop it, now." He ordered her. "You are a McNally, remember? Whatever happened to not being like your dad? To not giving in? What would Sam do if he heard you say that?" He used a stern voice. "Don't even do that. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself. Or in this case, you. Don't do that."

"I'm so tired, Dov." Her voice was faint.

"Then you sleep, not jump off a bridge." He responded.

"First Sarah, then Sam has to leave, then this," she pointed to her cast, "and now he's gone again. It's one thing after another, I feel like I'm being punished for something."

"It's always darkest before the dawn. It'll get better." His voice softened.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed into his chest.

"Hey, hey. Why are you sorry?" He furrowed his brow.

"I've been such a nuisance to everyone. I just want to stop bothering everyone." She cried.

"You need to relax, and get some sleep. You're fine. Everything is okay, you know it is." He whispered to her as her breathing began to even out.

This time, it was Dov who didn't sleep. They remained on the couch for four hours, Andy on top of him with her head nestled in the crook of his neck. He stared blankly at the ceiling, mulling over the past few days. He had to take Andy in to give her statement later in the afternoon, and he decided that this would be when he'd make a change.

"Andy, time to get up." He sung to her softly. He checked his watch and prayed they wouldn't be late for her meeting with Jerry. "Andy, come on wake up." He slowly sat both of them upright.

"I'm sleeping." She mumbled.

"You can sleep in the car." Dov laughed. He knew that begging wouldn't get him anywhere, so he picked her up and carried her to the car before returning to the house and locking up.

She did sleep all the way to the station. He helped her onto her crutches and into the building, not leaving her side until Traci was firmly situated on her other side at the interview table. As soon as he was outside, he walked straight into Best's office.

"Officer Epstein, what can I do for you?" Frank leaned back in his chair.

"How long is Sam going to be out?" He cut right to the chase.

"I can't divulge that information, Epstein, sorry." He waved his hand.

"Just tell me. His fiancé hasn't slept in weeks, she can't make it up stairs alone and she wouldn't eat if I didn't feed her. I need to know how much time I need to take off for her." Dov was trying to hide his growing frustration.

"Dov this isn't up to you, to take care of her." Frank furrowed his brow.

"Yes, it is! I promised Sam that I would take care of her. When is he getting back?" His tone grew fiercer.

Frank sighed. "There may be a deal we can get in on in three weeks. If we miss it, it'll be months before he's home."

"Damnit. Well, I'll go break the news to Andy and then hold her back when she tries to kill somebody. I can do desk duty when she gets a bit better. Thanks bud." He stormed out.

He walked into the observation room to see Andy sobbing again, her head hidden in her arms on the table.

"Alright, that's all we need." Jerry got up and kissed Andy on the head. "You're gonna be fine, rook." He whispered to her, rubbing her arms. Dov passed him in the doorway.

"Come on, let's get you home." He didn't need to ask this time. "Can you grab her crutches?" He asked Traci before picking Andy up and carrying her out to the car.

He helped her in and closed the door, before turning his back and leaning back against the car, rubbing his eyes. Traci stood before him, one hand on her hip.

"What's going on with you, Dov? With both of you?" She asked him softly. Dov turned and motioned to Andy that he'd be right back and then led Traci around the corner.

"I don't know what to do, Traci." Dov was exhausted. "It's one thing after another, it just won't let up. She's terrified, of men in general now, thanks to Luke. She wouldn't let me take her out to breakfast today. She's scared that Sam is gonna die, and the fact is, he might." He pursed his lips and shifted from one foot to the other. "She hasn't stopped crying in four days, hasn't slept in just as long, and I can't fix it. She feels totally alone." His voice grew thin.

"You're doing a great job, Dov. You're keeping her alive." Traci laid a hand on his forearm.

"She told me she may or may not kill herself if Sam doesn't get through this. He asked her to marry him today, and if anything it just terrified her more. She's scared she's going to lose everything that she's had to work so hard to keep safe." He sighed.

"She said that? You saw him? They're getting married? What?" Traci tried to wrap her mind around the situation.

"He came to the hospital and set up a meeting while Andy was in surgery. We met him at their place at nine, they spent an hour together and then he was gone again." Traci sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what else I can do. I'm trying so hard, and she is too, but it's like we're stuck."

"Oh, Dov." Traci stepped forward and hugged him. They'd never really been touchy with each other, but it seemed appropriate in the moment. "It'll be okay." She whispered delicately.

"You sound like me." Dov laughed.

"You two need a vacation." Traci patted his hand.

"Well, the doctor's replacing Andy's cast with a splint at the end of the week; maybe I'll whisk her away somewhere." He smiled.

"Yeah, with what money?" Traci laughed. Dov pulled out Sam's card.

"What baby wants, baby gets." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh he does love her!" Traci said with wide eyes. They walked back to the car to find Andy again, sleeping in the car. Traci leaned in to look at her hand.

"Oh my god!" She nearly shrieked. "Dov, that ring is huge. Holy crap." Traci raved.

"Yep, yep. We'll see you later, Trace." He waved as he got into the car and pulled away.

"I feel so vulnerable. I'm not a vulnerable person." Andy said, half sleeping.

"You are vulnerable. You can barely walk. That's why I'm here." Dov smiled at her.

"Thanks brother. Don't know what I'd do without you." She sat up in her seat.

"If you could do anything in the world, right this very second, what would it be?" Dov asked.

"Make cookies and then eat them in a tent built over my bed, like I did when I was a kid." Andy smiled.

"Then cookies it is." He took the next left and turned towards the grocery store. It was a small gesture, but he just needed an afternoon of happiness, like it used to be.

It was a small victory for Dov, seeing the real Andy show through, free of burden and heartache; even if the sight was fleeting. He smiled at the woman in the seat next to him and set his mind on the next challenge he would have to face.

How the hell do you build a tent on top of a bed, big enough for two adults?


	7. The Healing Process

Helloooooo! This one is a filler, in every sense of the word. Really. After reading some of your FANTASTIC replies, I realized I really did need to bring Sam back in. So, five days later, we find out something interesting... ;)

I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

The Healing Process

For the fifth day in a row, Dov woke to the sound of his dresser drawers opening and closing softly.

"Andy. Will you please stop doing my laundry?" He called from underneath the still standing tent they had constructed out of blankets and now taken to sleeping in.

"Dov, you barely have any clean clothes." She protested. "And how on earth did that wake you up? I was being so quiet!" She scolded herself.

"I'm a man, Andy. An attractive woman prancing around my room, it's like a dog whistle, except for men. It perks up my ears." He laughed. "I was gonna do all of our laundry today. I told you that!" He rolled over, careful not to pull down the blanket wall to his right.

"Well I woke up early, and I got bored." She stumbled across the room and fell onto the bed next to him, her head in her hands.

"And that's why you've been cleaning every morning this week before I wake up?" He arched his back and stretched.

"It's either that, or I'm going to start baking things like Sam does." She mumbled cheerfully.

"Sam bakes?" Dov lifted his head off of his pillow, smiling.

"What? Did I say that? No! He doesn't. He… he plays football." Andy stuttered, searching for a quick explanation. A pointed look from Dov was all it took. "Okay fine! His mom used to bake when she was upset or she wanted to thank someone, and it kinda got passed on to him. But don't tell anyone! I wasn't supposed to say anything!" She clapped her hands over her mouth and then ran them through her hair.

"His secret is safe with me." He yawned. The sunlight shone brightly through his east facing windows, illuminating the white sheets that hung from the ceiling. The two lay on his bed for a few minutes, just smiling. The fluffy white blankets and rays of sun kept them plenty warm, and for a moment they were perfectly content. Until Andy broke the silence again.

"Sam's visiting tomorrow." She smiled from ear to ear.

"I was wondering when you'd bring that up." He smiled and rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow.

"I'm excited okay?" She blushed and flopped onto her back.

"I have no doubt." He brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"He's picking me up, too. So you can have a break." She chirped. Dov sighed.

"Look, Andy. I don't think that will work. He's taking such huge risks being here, putting all of us in danger. Why don't I drop you off at your house, and he can go there? That way, there's no chance that someone will see you two driving around together."

"Well how are we gonna tell him that?" Andy cocked her head to the side.

"We're gonna make a sign for him." Dov replied happily.

"You mean like a bat signal?" Andy snorted.

"Andy, he drives by here everyday… Did you not notice that?" He laughed, looking at her in disbelief.

"He does not! What?" She gasped.

"He checks on you every chance he gets. I noticed him doing a drive by a few times last week." Dov gestured towards the front yard.

"Oh." Andy relaxed, satisfied with his answer. A few moments passed. "I'm excited." She giggled. Dov smoothly put his arms under her legs and shoulders before rolling them over and carrying her down the hallway.

"Ninja!" Andy screeched gleefully as he made his way to the kitchen and placed her on the counter.

"Can I take a look at your stitches?" He asked. Andy nodded. The cast had been removed a few days earlier, and it was now up to Dov to keep the wound clean until her next check up. He peeled back the gauze.

"Holy shit! This is gnarly." Dov prodded the red area around the gash carefully.

"Gnarly? Really, Dov?" She laughed, trying not to notice the severity of her injuries.

"Sorry." He laughed. "This is just… hold on, I'm gonna get the stuff." Dov took one last look before searching for the cream that the nurse had told him to use. When he returned, he was hoping that it wouldn't hurt like it did yesterday.

"Do you wanna ice it first?" He asked.

"Nah. I'll be fine." Andy waved the suggestion away.

"Alright." Dov sang. He'd fully expected her to shrink away from him and nearly break the handle off of his cupboard door like yesterday. It was painful, he knew that. But for some reason, today was different. Andy barely moved an inch when he carefully started to pat around the tender wound with some wipes. A few minutes later, they were done.

"That was easy." Dov took a step back, admiring his handy work.

"Yeah, it wasn't actually that bad." She shrugged. "Weird, honestly. I guess I'm healing up pretty good."

"Thank God." Dov smiled up at her. "Well, what do you wanna do today?"

"Need any housework done?" She grinned.

"No, miss. Someone seems to have taken care of that already." He said mockingly.

"Well, need any house repairs done? I'm actually pretty good at that kind of thing." She asked.

"I kind of want to paint the spare bedroom." He mused. The two shared a look before leaping into action.

"I'll get my keys and make the sign, you put on clothes." He said as he jogged out of the room. Quickly, he wrote '_See you at home!_' on a piece of paper and tacked it to the front window. He grabbed his keys and met Andy at the door.

"What colour?" She asked.

"You pick." He smiled as he led the way to the car.

"What? Really?" She stopped at the top step.

"Yeah, why not? I trust you." Dov shrugged and helped her to the car. Andy sat, staring out the window all the way to the paint store, all the while considering colour schemes and textures. Dov could see her mind spinning.

"I should, trust you, right?" Dov furrowed his brows and smiled nervously. Andy was about to answer when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

_New Text Message_

_Chris Diaz_

Dov flipped his phone open and read the message.

_Hey, man you gotta get in here. Best really needs to talk to you._

"Shit." He closed his phone and pulled over. "Is Traci off today?" He turned to Andy.

"Actually, yeah. Why? What's going on?" She tilted her head.

"Ah, I just gotta go see Frank. Hold on." He dialled Traci's number. "Hey, Trace. Can you meet me out front of that paint place near my house? I need you to take Andy for a bit while I go see Frank." He felt bad asking such a favour on her day off. "Thanks, I owe you one."

Traci pulled up about ten minutes later, and the two traded cars. Dov filled Traci in as they passed each other, and then they parted ways.

He pulled up to the station and jogged right into Best's office.

"What's up?" He said, grabbing one of the black chair's in front of the desk.

"Well, there's been a break in our case. I thought you'd like to know what we've found." He leaned forward.

"Thank you, sir. I'd love to know." Dov sighed gratefully.

"Well, there's a sale happening on Monday, three days from now. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but we may be able to get Sam and the other UC in on it. This is not for sure, and it's a lot riskier, but if we can, Sam wants to get in on it." He clasped his hands in front of him. "This may be over in a little more than a week and a half." Best smiled.

"That's great!" Dov threw his hands up and leaned back in his chair. "That's so great. Andy is going to be ecstatic!" His voice raised an octave.

"Wait, Dov. You can't tell her yet." He warned. "I don't know if this is going to pan out. Give it some time."

"Right. When are we going to know for sure?" He asked.

"Swarek is going to report in as soon as he can, and we'll go from there." A commotion in the bullpen caused both men to turn. When the situation was under control, Dov stood.

"Thank you, sir." He held his hand out for Frank to shake.

"No problem, Epstein." He shook his hand. "How's McNally holding up?"

"Well, her leg's in a splint now and the wound itself is disgusting. But, it is healing nicely." Dov reported with a smile.

"What about her mental state? I know she was having nightmares before, and it can't be easy with Sam gone." His voice tinged with more than a little concern.

"The nightmares still happen nightly, but they aren't as bad." Dov left out the fact that he still wasn't sleeping after seeing Luke on top of Andy. "She really, really misses him. It's like a period movie from the 1940's, and her husband just went off to war. It's tough." He sighed.

"I see. Well there are always people she can see; we can put her through the system. We've got really good people." Frank suggested.

"We'll have to wait and see. I think she really associates therapists and psychologists with her father, and his troubles. He tried a few years back with one, and it left a pretty bad impression. She is talking to me though, for what it's worth." He shrugged.

"That's good, actually. I was thinking she'd keep it all to herself. It sounds like you're doing a good job taking care of her, though. Where is Ms. McNally, anyways?" Frank glanced around the station. Dov checked his watch.

"Probably painting my spare bedroom some bright purple." Dov laughed. Frank gave him a questioning look.

"Painting?" He raised an eyebrow.

"She offered. I left her with Traci and told her she could pick the colour. So we'll just have to wait and see." Dov laughed a little, crossing his fingers.

"I want pictures, Epstein!" Frank laughed as Dov left the room. Dov winked at him and made his way over to Chris, who was working diligently on a report.

"Hey, brother. What's up?" Dov said, leaning on the desk.

"Hey, man! Ah, not much. I'm just filing a report for this B&E that Noelle and I got called to. Pretty minor stuff, I've gotta say. You really aren't missing much." He relaxed in his chair.

"Good. How's Gail?" Dov raised his eyebrows. Chris smiled proudly.

"She's still got a bit of morning sickness, but she actually has a pretty good baby bump!" He said excitedly.

"Baby bump? What is this, Access Hollywood?" Dov laughed. "Congratulations, man. Where is the mommy-to-be?" He quickly scanned the room.

"I think she's in booking right now. Go say hi, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." He smiled.

"Alright, I'll see you later man." He clapped Chris on the back as he passed him.

He opened the door to booking to see Gail leaning over a man cuffed to the bench.

"You wanna say that again, big man?" She yelled, one hand on the base of her back.

"I-I'm sorry. Never mind, okay?" The man cowered below her.

"Gail!" Dov whispered. She turned, and instantly the bad cop persona vanished. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Dov!" She screamed.

"Hey, what the hell?" The man on the bench called out.

"Shutup." Gail turned and shot a death glare at him, before turning back to Dov and smiling from ear to ear. "How are you?" She hugged him again.

"I'm good! I'm good. Still a bit thrown off by this new loving, wonderful Gail, but I'm gladly adjusting." His hand moved down to her stomach. "How are you and junior here?" Gail's eyes lit up.

"We're doing so, so, so good. Chris is almost finished the nursery, he's like a magician." She was beaming.

"So you're how far along?" Dov asked.

"About nine weeks." She giggled. Her eyes widened and she leaned back, looking around. "Come here." She whispered. "I'm taking my break!" She called to the other officer.

She led Dov to the parking lot, a smile growing on her face.

"What?" Dov laughed.

"Okay, you can't tell anyone. At all, ever, ever. Especially not Chris!" She stood on her toes and shifted her weight back and forth.

"Okay, okay! What is it?" Dov asked.

"I had this test done. Because my mom had a miscarriage, and I just wanted to make sure the baby would be healthy." She patted her stomach.

"And?" He tilted his head.

"Not only is the baby healthy, but this test also determined the sex." She jumped a little bit.

"Gail! What is it?" Dov grabbed her shoulders.

"Guess." She smiled.

"A boy?" He widened his eyes.

"NOPE! A GIRL!" She screeched, drawing attention from across the lot. She jumped up and Dov caught her midair, spinning her around.

"Congratulations! Can I be the God father?" Dov and Gail spun merrily.

"Probably! I have to go back in, but we should go get coffee sometime, you can help me plan the reveal for Chris!" She grinned as she led the way back inside.

She walked towards the Booking Room, but instead of going inside she walked right past. She found a table and sat, Dov followed suit.

"We should just talk about this now; I'm too excited to go back in." She grinned. An hour later, Gail was demanded to return to work. Dov had grown to love her, but he was relieved when he finally was allowed to go home. He called Traci, who said they were already at his house.

When he got home, he could smell the fresh paint. He slowly walked down the hallway to find Traci and Andy in the middle of the newly painted room with two glasses of wine.

"Do you like it?" Andy gasped as she tried to get up, but failed.

"I love it!" Dov smiled widely as he turned to look around his new, dark purple room.

"I called this you know, the purple. At least it works in here." He grinned.

"It's a neutral purple." Traci giggled.

"Thanks for today, Trace." Dov sat down next to the girls.

"No problem, buddy." She said, taking another sip of her wine.

"What did Best say?" Andy asked.

"Nothing." Dov zipped his lips.

"I tried to be nice." She said to Traci, before grabbing a paintbrush and dousing him in purple paint.

"I'll never tell!" Dov hollered as he ran to the bathroom and locked the door, laughing as Andy banged on the other side.

"Let me in! Tell meeeeee!" She laughed as Traci joined in.

Dov laughed as he turned on the shower and started to wash the purple off of him.

It was going to be a long day, with two more than tipsy women running around his house.

"Shit! Traci, my tent fell down!" Andy screeched, giggling uncontrollably.

A very long day indeed.


	8. The Beginning of the End

Second last chapter! Are you readddaaay? Yourr reviews made me so happy today! I love them, and I love you. Enjoy!

* * *

The sun slowly peeked into Dov's bedroom, the light on his face awakening him. He didn't move, he just listened for a minute. After a few minutes of silence, he was a bit confused as to what Andy was doing. That was, until he felt her hot breath on his neck. He turned, expecting to see a sleeping Andy who'd found her way across the bed during the night, looking for another warm body. He was greeted by something else.

"Jesus Christ, Andy!" Dov yelled as he jumped backwards, nearly falling off the bed. She was lying sideways on the bed, staring at him. Her straight face shattered into a fit of laughter, as he tried to regain his composure. His hand flew to his chest and he struggled to regulate his breathing. "What are you doing?" His voice was high.

"Creepin'." She gave him her best creepy-old-neighbour stare.

"Andy, seriously! You're gonna give me a heart attack." He looked at her with wide eyes.

"But you had to wake up!" She crawled over to him and smiled demurely. "We've got to go to my house!" She clapped her hands.

"Andy, it's only seven thirty." He rubbed his eyes.

"He's gonna be there in an hour and a half!" She chirped. "We've gotta get over there, I don't wanna be late!"

"Andy, your house is like fifteen minutes away. Chill." He laughed as he rolled over onto his stomach. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Fine, but I'm waking you up at 8:30. And that's final. I'm gonna go get ready." She smiled as she hopped off the bed and started to gather her things.

"Ready?" Dov said, his voice muffled because he'd buried his face in his pillow.

"Yes, ready." Andy giggled.

"For Sam? Why?" He lifted his head.

"Cause I want to look good for him." She said happily.

"He practically drools when you're in sweats." Dov reasoned.

"But he's been living in a shithole since the beginning of this; I want to give him a little treat." She was not going to give up.

"Fine. But be quiet, and no heels." He closed his eyes.

"Deal." She tiptoed out of the room.

* * *

"Dov!" Andy called down the hallway. "Get up!"

"Hmph." He grunted into his pillow. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He pulled a shirt over his head and walked down the hallway, stopping short.

"Whoa, Andy…" Dov's jaw dropped. "Whoa." She giggled, a blush rising up her neck.

"Thanks, Dov." She smiled.

"Whoa?" He still couldn't find words.

"Alright, let's go." She limped over and pulled him by the arm, leading him towards the door.

"Whoa." Dov said quietly, still looking at her.

"You, car, now!" She laughed. He grabbed her arm, and stopped her in the doorway. He stepped out in front of her.

"Hold on." He whispered. He turned around and looked across to the neighbouring house. "Dale, stop staring." He called out. The blonde man suddenly stood from his place in the bushes, making Andy jump.

"Come on, man!" He threw his hands up.

"No, Dale. That's creepy. Go away." Dov answered.

"Fine." Dale trudged back inside. He turned to Andy.

"Après vous, mon cher." He placed his hand on the small of her back and helped her down the stairs.

The car ride there was short, and Andy sat in her seat and fidgeted. When they arrived, Dov helped her to the top step and took one last look at her. She truly was a thing of beauty.

He thought he'd seen most of her dresses, but this one was new to him. It grazed her knee, hugging her body tightly with just enough give to not irritate her leg. The silky maroon fabric complemented her brown curls, which cascaded gracefully down her back. It was then he realized she wasn't wearing shoes.

"No shoes, Ms. Mc – Swarek?" He raised his eyebrows.

"It's not like I really need them." She smiled, brushing her hair over her shoulders. "Hey, could you maybe, wait until Sam gets here?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll be in the car, okay?" Dov smiled at her and jogged over to kiss her on the cheek. "You kids have fun." He retreated to his car and began flipping through an old paper.

A few minutes later, Sam jogged up. He looked like hell, his black hair sticking out every which was and equally black bags under his eyes. His T-shirt was fitted and jeans slung low on his hips, and they nearly fell right off when he knocked on the door and Andy basically jumped him.

She flung open the door and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips to his. His arms slid around her waist and he kissed her with equal fervour, while walking her back inside. Andy's hand left his body to wave goodbye to Dov before the door closed, and that was it.

Stunned, Dov drove home trying to un-see his best friend getting hot and heavy with her fiancé. He was due to pick her up in exactly one hour. He walked around the kitchen, a bit unsure of what to do with himself.

"Come on, Dov. It's your house. There has to be something." He walked down the hallway and searched for dirty laundry, only to find everything folded neatly in the laundry basket, tucked into the corner of his room. The garbage had been taken out, windows washed, carpets vacuumed, Andy had really gone to town on the place.

A yawn overtook him and effectively decided what he would do for an hour. He fell into his bed and stretched gratefully, revelling in the soft, fluffy quilt. He lifted his head only to set an alarm on his phone before drifting off to sleep.

Exactly 45 minutes later, the sharp ringtone woke him. He grumbled as he made his way down the hallway and out to his car. He was still sleeping when he pulled up to see Andy standing on the curb, her once perfect curls a little past messy. She got in the car and smiled back at the house, where unbeknownst to Dov, Sam was still taking refuge. He smiled from the upstairs window as they pulled away.

"You smell like sex." Dov looked at her, his voice still a little hoarse. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Dov!" She gasped, a smile spreading across her face as quickly as the accompanying blush.

"Well you don't smell like sex, per se, but seriously, what is this?" He reached over and tugged down the top of her dress a little, revealing a very dark bruise. "Like, you're kidding me. What is he, a vampire?"

"Dov! No! That's, that isn't from…" Andy scrambled to make up an excuse.

"Chill, Andy, I'm a big boy." He laughed. A lull fell over the two, until Andy heard a small voice from next to her.

"Andy likes it roouuuggh." He sang, and then laughed. She swatted his arm and went beet red.

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" She squealed.

"Fine." He grinned to himself. "Well, what did he have to say for himself?" He sped through a yellow light.

"He might be home in a week! One week, Dov!" She practically jumped in her seat. "Can we go see Traci?" Her sudden change in topic confused Dov, but he didn't fight it.

"I guess." He laughed, hoping Best wouldn't hang him for distracting his officers again. Once they reached the station, Andy did her best to rush inside. She was greeted by a wave of officers and thousands of how-are-you-doing?'s. She brushed everyone off and tracked Traci down. They hadn't been there for more than twenty minutes when the loud, booming voice belonging to Frank sounded.

"I need _all_available bodies in the tack room, now!" He called out, jogging through the bullpen. The station jumped to life as everyone shuffled around, putting away their reports and then finding there way to tack. "We've got two officers undercover right now. One just reported in that we have all the proof we need, we can move in and make the bust. However, the other officer is currently reported MIA. We can proceed, but people, proceed with extreme caution. Don't hit anyone on our side!" Best emphasized every word. "Everyone gear up, briefing in twenty." He said flipping open his phone and leaving the room, passing a speechless Dov and terrified Andy.

"Oh my God, Sam's in trouble." She whispered. Dov grabbed her and walked her into the women's locker room.

"Nothing is happening, he's fine." He looked at her eyes, full of panic. "He's fine, he's fine. You just saw him."

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." She breathed. Without warning she jumped up from the bench and darted out of the room. Dov was surprised, for a woman who could barely walk, she sure could move.

"Frank! Frank!" She called.

"Yes, Ms. McNally?" He turned, clearly in a rush and a little jumpy.

"Let me come." Her words were full of determination.

"Andy, you know I can't do that." He raised his hands.

"Please, I need to. I'll just wait in the car, I swear." She grabbed his hands. "Please, you can't leave me here" He sighed through his nose.

"Fine, Andy. But you stay in the car, stay off the radios and you sit quietly, got it?" He turned to Dov. "You wanna come too, Epstein?" He sighed, Dov nodded. "Alright. Same rules apply to you." He waved them off and continued trying to get a handle on the situation.

"Everyone! Listen up!" Jerry called from tack. "Sam Swarek and Lydia Johnston have been undercover for the past little while, investigating and effectively trying to destroy a human trafficking ring. We caught a break today, Lydia found an in. She got all the recorded proof we need; we have photos, dates, times, the works. Bottom line is we can put them away. Now, we just have to get them." Cheers sounded throughout the room.

"The only catch is that Sam is currently off our radar. We don't know what that means, where he could be, or if he's alright." Best strode into the room. "We do know, however, that Swarek would not waste any time trying to get in on these guys. So chances are he's with them now. When we go in, there's gonna be fire. All of you need to watch out, there can be no mistakes."

A wave of agreement settled over the cops of fifteen and everyone started to roll out. Andy was riding with a fifteen veteran, nineteen years on the force. They didn't speak, nor did Dov and the officer he rode with. They arrived outside the warehouse Lydia had led them to and were beyond glad when both cars were parked next to each other.

The officers jumped to life, forming assigned groups and waiting for the signal to head in. Before anyone could give the signal, a blonde woman tumbled through the side door, screaming.

"That's Lydia! Move!" Oliver screamed, and they were off. Every officer disappeared into the large building, leaving Andy and Dov alone in their cars. Minutes passed, before gunshots were heard. She imagined what was going on inside.

She imagined the cops filing in, covering all doors, before kicking them down. They were efficient, that was for sure. And they sure as hell didn't fire unless they needed to. They exchanged glances and resisted the urge to rush in behind everyone.

Out of nowhere, a second storey window shattered and two men fell out onto the flatbed truck beneath them. The hairs on Dov's arms stood on end as Andy screamed.

"Sam!"


	9. Glad To Be Home

Last one everybody! Be warned: There is some strong language. A few F-Bombs. So please, don't read it unless you're okay with this.  
I've already got the next idea for my next ficcc! hehehe. expect it soon. All of your reviews are phenomenal. Love you all! Enjoy!

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Glad to be Home

Andy rattled the door handle, desperately trying to open the door. She screamed as she watched Sam and other man roll off the back of the truck, both clearly hurt.

"Sam! Sam!" Her voice cracked. She released the handle when her phone rang in her jacket pocket. She checked the caller ID and answered.

"Dov!" She turned to look at the other car. "We have to go out there!"

"We can't, Andy! You're hurt and we're both unarmed." He spoke through the window, using his hands to illustrate his point.

"But he's hurt!" She cried, slamming her fist on the window. "We have to!"

Dov grabbed the radio, which was already alive with crackles of orders and conditions, and took a deep breath.

"Officer down, south side of the building; it's Sam. Someone get out here!" He called in. He turned back to Andy. "If I get chewed out for this, you owe me big time." She nodded frantically and whimpered into the phone, tears making themselves very evident as Sam picked himself up off of the ground. No officers had answered Dov's call for help, leaving Sam and the other man to settle their differences.

Sam kicked the man's ribs, making his body jump. The man rolled over and swiftly kicked out the back of Sam's knees, before swinging around and hitting him in the back with a metal pipe.

"No!" Andy screamed as Sam fell to the ground. Inside, shots were heard and both men paused before resuming the struggle. "Sam! Get up." Her voice faded as she slammed her fists onto the dash. "I have to go help him!" She said to Dov, her hands shaking. Extremely thankful that the other officers had child locked her door, he tried to calm her over the phone. '_Wait, police cars don't have child safety locks._' He smiled to himself as he looked over and saw that in her panic, she hadn't unlocked the door.

"Andy, you can't. He'll be fine." His voice was smooth.

"I have, he's, I, help!" She whimpered, hyperventilating. He willed her to relax, saying sweet nothings in the most peaceful voice he had. She dropped the phone and screamed, shocking Dov out of his efforts.

"Dov! SAM!" She pierced her own ear drums and choked herself by lunging forward with her seatbelt still on. Dov's head jerked towards the two men fighting.

"Fuck." He undid his seatbelt, a shot went off. It ricocheted off the front of the car, and he reached for his backup. He wasn't even supposed to be carrying it, but since he'd been taking care of Andy, he never wanted to be caught off guard. He picked up the phone and slammed the windows, making Andy do the same.

"You, stay in the car, do you understand?" He yelled. She nodded and he picked up the radio. "We've got a gun out here, off duty officer involved. Send backup!" He yelled as he threw open his door and ran across the property.

"Give up, punk. You don't win this one." Sam growled at the man as they wrestled for possession of the weapon. He flinched as the muzzle pointed directly at his leg, but forced every ounce of energy he had left into grabbing the man's arm and flipping him over his shoulder.

Before he could reach for the gun, a foot flew up and knocked him square in the jaw, pushing him to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone else running towards them. '_Thank God._' He breathed a sigh of relief before hoisting himself off of the ground and diving at the other man.

"Give me the gun, Nate." He warned.

"You lied, cop. I don't think that's how this is going to end." He sneered, tossing the gun to his other hand and striking Sam in the neck with the butt of his gun. Sam stumbled backwards, struggling to regain his balance. Nate stood about six feet away, gun aimed at Sam's forehead.

Dov could hear Andy's screams from the car as he sprinted, desperately trying to get to Sam. He saw the other man's gun go up.

"Fuck!" He said, still running.

"Say goodnight, copper. I'll see you in hell!" Nate screamed, laughing.

"That's all you got, really?" Sam laughed; still not steady on his feet and his neck steadily bleeding.

"Shut up, man. You really wanna be saying that with a gun at your head?" He took a step forward.

"If I'm gonna die, then the last thing I'm ever gonna do is piss you off. Might as well have fun with it, right?" He grinned arrogantly, trying to ignore Dov who was less than fifty feet away, and Andy, still in the car.

"Pathetic." Nate racked the gun. "Any last words?" Sam smiled as he saw Dov take aim behind Nate.

"Yeah." He raised his hand. "Shoot!" Both men dropped to the ground as a single shot rang out. Andy stopped breathing and sweat dripped down the side of her face, before she turned and realized why she wasn't able to get out of the car.

"I'm such an idiot!" She yelled, tears soaking the top of her shirt. She flung open the door and started to make her way over to them. Dov was bent down, checking the other man.

"Dov!" She yelled, as five officers emerged from the building, guns raised.

"We need an EMT!" He screamed, as he moved towards Sam. He stood, with blood on his hands. Sam's blood. Andy stopped in her tracks and threw up. She spat and cried as she continued towards them, scared of what she would see.

"Andy, you need to stay back." Dov met her about ten feet away, blood on his cheek and his eyes wide.

"What happened? He's okay right?" She squeezed his hands. Before he could answer, she collapsed into him. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." She cried, louder than she realized.

"Andy, calm down." He took her hand and walked her over to where Sam was lying on the ground.

"Hey there, Panda!" He smiled, his dimples making another stunning appearance. Dov lowered her down next to him, minding her leg. She was still crying, when she looked over at him and saw that he was very much alive. Both lying on their backs, they gazed into each others eyes.

"Never ever again." She whispered. He reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing lightly.

"Never." He said, his eyes filling with tears. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and rolled onto her side, kissing him deeply.

"Ma'am, we've got to get in here." An EMT said, hovering.

"Just a second." He whispered, smiling back bigger than ever before. He brought up his other hand and entangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her into him. A crowd began to gather and Andy pulled away, giggling.

"You should go with them, you're bleeding." She nuzzled the side of his face gently, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Will you come?" He asked quietly.

"Obviously." She kissed his nose. "Can someone help me up?" She blushed, extending a hand to a more than willing young EMT. He steadied her after helping her off the ground, settling his hands on her waist. A pointed look from Sam, and the young man pulled his hands back, raising them in defence.

"That's better." Sam smiled as the other paramedics lifted him on to a stretcher.

Andy followed them to the ambulance after smiling sheepishly back at the man, and smiling brightly at Dov.

"I'll come by later, okay?" He kissed her on the cheek and clapped Sam lightly on his shoulder.

"Hold on a second." She motioned to the crew. "What happened out there?" She led Dov away. "He fell, and so did the other guy, what happened to the other guy?"

"I shot him." Dov said, doing his best to keep a straight face even though his hands were trembling.

"Oh, Dov." She whispered, her palms on his chest, running around to the back of his neck. "I'm so sorry."

"No reason to be. Sam gave me the signal, I took the shot. And I hit him." He sniffed a little.

"Why don't you just come to the hospital now?" She pressed her forehead to his. "Come talk to me." She felt bad that she couldn't protect him like he'd protected her.

"No, no. I've gotta give my statement, you need to be with Sam." He smiled at her, doing his best to make it convincing.

"You call me as soon as your finished, understand?" He nodded. "I love you, brother. Thank you so much." She hugged him and kissed his shoulder. Another tear beaded at the corner of her eye, but he wiped it away.

"Anytime, sis." He winked at her and jogged back to the car, fighting back tears. Andy watched him a minute before returning to the ambulance. An officer closed the doors behind her and they were off to the hospital.

Two hours of checking, tests, more checking, and then waiting later; the lovebirds returned to their nest. Andy hadn't heard from Dov, but Sam insisted they let him cool off before breaking down his door.

"Bed?" She asked, sitting down on his lap in the living room.

"My own bed." He smiled. "That sounds great." He kissed her on the cheek.

"No sex, though. Don't want to make your neck bleed again." She turned in his lap to straddle him.

"Uh, no. You do not get to torture me like this, not tonight." He kissed her, but then gently lifted her off of him and on to the couch. "Wanna watch a movie before bed?"

"Sure." She grabbed the remote and made herself comfortable on top of him. Andy never actually turned a movie on, she fell asleep too quickly. They slept on the couch that night, both perfectly content simply because they were with each other. Again, it was the sun that woke them.

"Even though I was only gone for a little while, you have no idea how good it feels to be back home." He whispered when she opened her eyes. He still couldn't help but marvel at the way her long eyelashes grazed his skin so delicately, it reminded him just how fragile she was.

"I haven't gone a single minute without missing you." She admitted. "It sounds dumb, but it was terrible without you here." He kissed her on the forehead.

"You know that I'm never leaving again, right?" The room was silent as they both stared out absently.

"I got your wedding band." She smiled.

"Oh did you now?" He propped himself, smiling back.

"I know I should've waited for you to get back, but I'm a girl. I'm excited." She giggled as she hopped off the couch and walked to the kitchen. Sam heard a drawer slide open and closed and then she returned. She padded softly along the floor, and sat next to him on the couch.

"I think I know you pretty well, as it is." She picked up his hand and began to slide the ring over his finger. "So I made the executive decision. White gold." He stared at her as she slid the ring into place and looked up at him.

"It's perfect." He smiled. "How did I get so damn lucky?" He said to himself. She crawled onto him and lay on his chest, her elbows resting on his shoulders.

"I think it was a cross between the arrogance and the really great sex." She kissed him.

"What can I say, you're my favourite thing to do." He winked at her.

"Sam!" She laughed, lowering her head to his shoulder. His hands drifted onto her back and he squeezed her tightly.

"I love you, Andy." His eyes were smiling.

"I love you too." She nestled her head in the crook of his neck. They lay there for a few minutes before Sam stated the obvious.

"We should go see Dov." He said to the ceiling.

"Yeah." She kissed him again before getting up and going to change her clothes.

They found Dov exactly how they'd expected to. Andy unlocked the door using the key he'd given her, and quietly led the way into his house. She walked into the living room and found him passed out on the couch, a bottle of amber liquid in his hand. She sat down on the floor next to him.

"Dov?" She brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Sleeping, call back later." He whispered.

"Dov." She placed her hand gently on the side of his face. "Wake up, honey." He shifted a little and looked at her, his eyes swirling pools of blue.

"Hi." He whispered.

"How are you holding up?" Her voice matched his as she gently rubbed his cheek. Sam gazed on from a distance, adoring Andy's warm hearted approach to everything in life. She always knew how to deal with things.

"I'm good." He didn't move.

"No you're not." Andy tried to take the bottle out of his hand, but he didn't let go. "Give me the bottle." She stroked his cheek with her thumb. He reluctantly released his grip.

"Can I have it back later?" His eyes searched hers.

"I don't want you to, but after I leave it's up to you." She turned to Sam. "Give us a minute?" Sam nodded and left the room. Andy closed the blinds and walked back over to the couch. She gently rolled him over onto his back and lifted his head, and sat before placing it on her lap.

"My head hurts." He whispered, closing his eyes tightly. Andy breathed out through her nose and gently rubbed small circles across his forehead and onto his temples. She'd taken a class in reflexology when she was in high school, and she was never more thankful for that than she was now. She tapped her fingers lightly around his eyes and smiled as his expression relaxed.

"Nightmares?" She whispered.

"I was too drunk." His voice was barely audible. "Don't remember." He shifted his shoulders a little bit. She could feel his breathing speed up, so she placed her other hand on his chest and rubbed it lightly.

"They go away, Dov. Mine are getting better." She traced her finger along his jaw line.

"When?" His voice was timid.

"Soon enough." She whispered, praying she'd be right. Sam entered the room.

"I'm gonna go grab him some Gatorade and vitamins. Back in a few, okay?" She nodded and he left.

"You should go with him; you've been away from each other so long." He said, his eyes still shut.

"He'll be back soon, its okay." She dragged her thumbs underneath his eyes and finished off her impromptu massage. "Let's get you up." She sat him up and helped him to the bathroom, telling him to sit on the rim of the bathtub.

"Why do I – " He couldn't finish before he fell forward and threw up.

"That's why." She ran a cloth under cold water and pressed it to his forehead before running it over his face. "I've had my fair share of hangovers." She grabbed a spare towel and patted his face dry. "Come on." She stood him up and walked him to the kitchen, directing his every move. He was a zombie when he was hung over. She'd just sat him down when Sam opened the door and quietly entered the room. He mixed up an old Swarek family potion which he'd introduced to Andy many a time.

"It's disgusting, but it'll get you right." He said, passing the drink to Dov and sitting down across from him.

"Babe, a second?" Andy gave them the room. Dov took a sip of the orange concoction and cringed as he swallowed. Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, I know man. I get it." He waited for Dov to put the drink down. "Dov, I don't know how to thank you. I really don't." His voice was earnest.

"You could bake something for me." Dov let out a laugh which was quickly silenced when Sam raised his eyebrows pointedly.

"Yeah, anyway. Anything you ever need from me, you got my number. Andy would be lost without you, you have no idea how much you gave her this past little while. You were the person keeping her afloat. Her life raft." Sam looked him in the eyes.

"Well, I don't break my promises." Dov smiled back.

"That you don't." Sam laughed. "Why don't you take a while off? I've got like six years of vacation saved up, why don't you go somewhere hot, and relax?"

"I'd rather be here, with you guys." He smiled.

"Aw, missing us already, Epstein?" Sam leaned back.

"Guilty as charged." Dov knocked back another mouthful of his drink. He stood and moved around the table to shake Dov's hand, who was now also on his feet. The two men walked into the living room where Andy was waiting.

"Shall we?" He asked. She nodded and walked over to Dov.

"You gonna be alright, Dov?" She held his hands.

"Yeah, yeah. I can feel this magical drink working already." He smiled.

"Alright." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Call me if you need, okay? I'll stop by tomorrow." She kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, brother."

"Bye, sis." He brushed her hair back over her shoulders. He walked them to the door and waved goodbye to them as they pulled away before returning to the living room. He dumped the drink Sam had made down the sink and sat on the couch. He reached for his bottle of whiskey, and poured himself another glass.

And then another, and then another.

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Thank you all for such great encouragement while writing this! See you around ;)


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